The rushed pace and hectic schedule-balancing inherent in today's modern culture has made long getaways a rare luxury. In lieu of long vacations, many are opting for shorter, extended-weekend trips. Because time is precious on these quick trips, many find it undesirable to spend large amounts of time at airports where all passengers are subject to lengthy safety precautions and where flights can be delayed or cancelled. Instead, many choose to drive to a suitable location with a recreational vehicle and camp.
Modern recreational vehicles are equipped with all the technological comforts available in one's home, such as microwaves, DVD players and satellite television. Yet despite all of these internal comforts, most recreational vehicles lack exterior comforts that enhance the user's ability to enjoy the outdoors. Traditionally, if a recreational vehicle user wanted to have a picnic, grill or sunbathe by his vehicle, he would simply do so on the ground or perhaps lay a carpet or a blanket on the ground to enhance comfort. However, the ground is often not level and in the case of inclement weather, the ground and the carpet may get wet or muddy. A more ideal way to enjoy the outdoors would be for the recreational vehicle to have a deck.
A recreational vehicle having a platform is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,878 issued to Weaver. Weaver discloses a vehicle having a platform stowable in a storage bay mounted underneath the vehicle. The storage bay includes rollers to reduce friction when the platform is pulled out and when it is stowed. To further support the platform, a cable guide system including a cable and a pulley is employed. When the platform is in use, it lies directly on the ground. However, the added weight and space of a storage bay can negatively impact the cost of the system as well as the gas mileage of the vehicle. In addition, such a storage bay would likely require dismantling in the event that the vehicle requires repairs. Furthermore, it may be undesirable to have the platform resting directly on the ground in inclement weather or if the user desires to prevent the destruction of plants or grasses.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,784,837 issued to Klein et al discloses a collapsible deck for use with either a recreational vehicle or a mobile home. The collapsible deck includes a platform that is mounted on a frame assembly. The frame assembly includes a frame, a hitch and an axle having at least two tires. The platform has four sides that, when not in use, fold upwards to create a box having five walls. When in use, the four sides fold downward to form a skirt underneath the platform. When being transported, the four sides of the platform are folded upwards and the hitch is connected to a suitable towing mechanism on a vehicle. However, the requirement that the deck be hitched to a vehicle may be inconvenient if the user desired to hitch other equipment, such as an automobile, jet ski, or a snowmobile to the vehicle.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a device adapted to minimize or eliminate one or more of the shortcomings set forth above.